Adventitious Breath Sounds

This website offers free lessons, auscultation guides and quizzes for adventitious breath sounds. On this page we provide a definition and then we examples of several types of adventitious breath sounds using audio recordings and text. Links to the free training courses are noted as well.

What Are Adventitious Breath Sounds?

Adventitious breath sounds are abnormal sounds that are heard over a patient's lungs and airways. These sounds include abnormal sounds such as fine and coarse crackles (crackles are also called rales), wheezes (sometimes called rhonchi), pleural rubs and stridor. Adventitious breath sounds are important clues used for diagnosing numerous cardiac and pulmonary conditions. These sounds and corresponding conditions are described in our breath sounds courses.